An Unexpected Surprise
by SerenaElisabet
Summary: The McCord's have faced some serious challenges during Elizabeth's term as Secretary of State so far. Until Stevie receives some surprising news. They might be facing their biggest challenge yet.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **An Unexpected Surprise  
**Summary: **The McCord's have faced some serious challenges during Elizabeth's term as Secretary of State so far. Until Stevie receives some surprising news that might be their biggest challenge yet.  
**Ratings/Warning:** PG-13 or Teen And Up for some course language and possible disturbing situations later on in the story.  
**Spoilers: **None that I can think of...  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Madam Secretary_ or any of its wonderful characters. Those belong to CBS and _Madam Secretary's _producers and writers.  
**Author's Note: **Feel free to leave reviews/comments to let me know how I'm doing and if you're enjoying the story! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of the first chapter! Enjoy!  
***

"Stevie, hurry up!"  
Stevie could hear her brother Jason pounding on the bathroom door.  
"I'm gonna be late for school!"  
Stevie ignored Jason as she covered her mouth. Another wave of nausea hit her and she leaned over the toilet.  
"Mom, Stevie's hogging the bathroom!" she heard Jason complaining to their mother.

"Go use my bathroom, you too, Ally," Stevie heard Elizabeth tell her siblings. "You're going to be late for school."  
Stevie heard her siblings run upstairs to use their parents shared bathroom at the same time as she heard Elizabeth walking down the hallway to the bathroom that Stevie was currently occupying.  
"Is everything okay, Stevie?" Elizabeth asked, knocking on the bathroom door.  
Stevie wiped her mouth and splashed some water on her face before plastering a smile on her face and opening the bathroom door.  
"Yeah, mom! Everything's fine!" Stevie answered.  
"I thought I heard you throwing up?" Elizabeth asked, frowning at her daughter.  
"Yeah, um, I did wake up feeling sick today. I guess I just have a stomach bug or something," Stevie said.  
Elizabeth frowned again and felt Stevie's forehead. "Well you don't have a fever."  
"I'll be fine," Stevie said, even though her upset stomach was telling her otherwise.  
"Why don't you stay home today?" Elizabeth suggested.  
"Yeah, I guess I could," Stevie said. It was a Friday so she didn't have any classes at Georgetown on Fridays and it was a relief that she wouldn't have to see Arthur at work that afternoon. Stevie had decided to keep her internship at the Microloans office after all to receive the college credit and because she genuinely enjoyed the work she was doing. It had been two months since her and Arthur had broken up and even though they had been able to remain professional in the office, there was still an awkward tension between them that everyone else in the office was picking up on.  
"Stay home, I'll have Blake bring you some soup later," Elizabeth said, giving Stevie an understanding look. Bess hated it when any of her children were sick. She hated seeing them in pain.  
"Thanks, mom," Stevie said, smiling at her mom gratefully.

"I have to get to a meeting at the White House but I'll see you tonight for dinner," Bess said, kissing Stevie's forehead.  
"Bye, mom,," Stevie said.  
"Bye, sweetheart," Bess said, smiling at her daughter before she went downstairs and left for the state department.  
* * *

Stevie was in the middle of watching a _Keeping up with the Kardashians_ marathon on TV when her cell phone buzzed with a text. It was from her mother's assistant, Blake.

_I heard you're not feeling well :( Your mom asked me to bring you some soup. Is Chicken Noodle okay?  
_Stevie smiled at Blake's concern and typed back.

_That's perfect! Thanks!_

She was about to send the text but decided to add something else. She bit her lip and typed:

_Is Daisy free right now, too? I need a favor._

Blake frowned at the text Stevie McCord had sent him back. He assumed Stevie needed Daisy to put out another social media misfire but he hadn't seen or heard anything about Stevie or any of the McCord kids in the news that morning. He got up from his desk to go find Daisy.

"Daisy!" he called as he saw her leaving the Press Room.

"Yes, Blake?" Daisy asked.  
"Are you free to run an errand right now? The secretary's daughter, Stevie, needs a favor," Blake replied.  
"Oh, God, what did those girls do now?" Daisy said, more to herself than to Blake. She pulled out her phone and started quickly scanning through the political gossip blogs, praying that Alison and Stevie hadn't done or said something stupid on social media.  
She frowned, "There's nothing here about the McCord's. I haven't gotten any Google Alerts today either."  
Blake shrugged, "Let's go see what's up."

"We brought you ginger ale, saltine crackers, and chicken soup," Blake said to Stevie, pulling things out of a grocery bag as he stood in the McCord's kitchen along with Daisy.  
"Oh, wow, you guys didn't have to get all this. The soup alone would have sufficed," Stevie said.

Daisy chuckled, "Your mother insisted."  
Stevie chuckled, "Of course she did."  
Blake chuckled as well.  
"So, anyway? What's up? What did you need to talk to me about?" Daisy asked. "I heard something about a favour."  
"Yeah, um, I actually need both of you to do it for me," Stevie said. "If you're not too busy of course."  
"We're not. Things are pretty slow at the office for once actually," Blake said.  
Stevie took a deep breath and looked at both Daisy and Blake.

"I need you to go to the drugstore and buy me a pregnancy test," she said.

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh my God, there's so many of them!" Blake exclaimed, as him and Daisy examined the display of pregnancy tests that was in front of them at the pharmacy. "Which brand should we get for her? Should we do what they do in the movies and buy her one of every kind or do we…"  
"Ugh, Blake, just shut up for a minute!" Daisy exclaimed.  
Blake decided to stay quiet. He knew he was rambling. It was a nervous habit of his when he was a difficult situation. And this. Well, this was a difficult situation.  
"Oh, God. This is going to be a PR nightmare if she is pregnant," Daisy realized, grabbing one of the pregnancy tests off the shelf.  
"Lower your voice," Blake whispered. Daisy's own nervous habit was blabbing gossip out loud. And loudly.

"Do you think it's that guy, Arthur's, baby?" Daisy murmured, as they headed towards the self-checkout machines. They couldn't be caught buying a pregnancy test. For all they knew, the DC rumor mill would start spinning and soon enough there would be rumors flying around that they were purchasing the pregnancy test for their boss. And they couldn't do that to Elizabeth. They were trying to be as discrete as possible with their purchase.  
"Or maybe the rumors about her and Harrison were true all along," Blake whispered to Daisy.  
Daisy let out a quiet gasp and shook her head, "No, I don't think so. Allison was just bored when she started that rumour. And anyway, Stevie might not even be pregnant."  
"Let's hope not," Blake said as they paid for the pregnancy test. He hoped for MSec's sake, that Stevie wasn't really pregnant, that it was just a pregnancy scare. Or even a cruel prank Stevie was playing on Daisy and himself. He wouldn't put it past her.  
"Let's get this over with," Daisy remarked as she grabbed her change from the self-checkout machine.

***  
"Do you want some privacy?" Daisy asked Stevie, after her and Blake delivered the pregnancy test.  
"Yes," Stevie said but quickly changed her mind. "No. Stay. I need the moral support."  
Daisy and Blake nodded.  
"Your mother has been frantically texting and calling us ever since we left by the way," Daisy said. "And it's not about work. She's worried about you."  
"Can you stall her?" Stevie asked. "Tell her I'm okay and that you'll be back at the office in a couple of minutes."  
Daisy and Blake nodded as Stevie walked up the stairs and headed towards the bathroom.

Stevie pulled the contents of the pregnancy test out of its box and prepared to take it.  
"This is it. The moment of truth," she whispered to herself.  
_Oh God, I can't be pregnant. I really can't be pregnant,_ she thought a few minutes later as she waited for the results. She checked the instructions on the box. It would take 5 minutes for the results to show up.  
_Everything would be screwed up if I got pregnant_, she thought. _As if things aren't screwed up enough already. Fuck._

*** _  
_After five, agonizing long minutes, Stevie picked up the test stick. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in before opening her eyes again. She stared down at the test stick.  
It was positive. _  
_

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, y'all! To the reviewer that said to expand on the chapters, this chapter is also short because I wrote it a while ago and where I ended it felt like a good place to end it, but I tried to make chapter 4 (which I will post soon, once I finish editing it) longer! Enjoy this chapter, everyone! **

"So, here's the deal."

Stevie was sitting in the White House garden with Harrison. He had been released from rehab two weeks ago and so far he had been doing great. He had managed to stay sober thanks to keeping a low profile, regularly attending NA meetings and President Dalton had hired a sober coach to meet with Harrison regularly at the White House in order to check on him and help him with his sobriety.

It was an unusually warm day for early April, so when Stevie had called Harrison and asked if they could meet, Harrison had suggested they enjoy the weather by talking outside in the famous White House Rose Gardens. He also knew they could get relative privacy there, if Stevie was about to drop a bombshell. And from her tone of voice and demeanor, he had a feeling she was about to.

"I'm pregnant."  
Stevie knew if she was going to say it out loud to someone besides Blake and Daisy, she was just going to come out with it and say it bluntly.  
"Pregnant?" Harrison said, in shock. He and Stevie had been doing a Friends with Benefits thing since he was released from rehab.  
"It's not yours, don't worry," Stevie said. "Its Arthur's for sure."  
Harrison took a sip of the coffee he was holding, trying to process what Stevie had just told him.  
"When did you find out?" he asked her.  
"Last week. I already went to the doctors. I'm about eight weeks along," Stevie replied.  
"Are you going to tell him? Are you going to tell your parents?" Harrison asked. He had a million questions he wanted to ask Stevie.  
"Um, no," Stevie answered. "And this is where you come in."  
Harrison slowly nodded, still processing what Stevie had just told him.  
"I already spoke to the doctor about an abortion. They said they could do it and discreetly. They know who my mom is and they won't tell her because I'm over 18. But they said somebody over 18 needs to accompany me to the appointment or else they won't do it. In case something goes wrong or I'm woozy from the anesthesia…"  
Harrison nodded. "And you want me to go with you?"  
Stevie nodded, "I mean, you figured out how to sneak out of this place incognito, right? When you were doing drugs…" Stevie trailed off.  
Harrison nodded again, "Um, yeah. I could take you. Just tell me when and where."  
Stevie nodded gratefully, "Thanks, Harrison. I knew I could count on you."  
Harrison put his coffee cup down, "Come here."  
He reached his arms out to hug Stevie. Stevie fell thankfully into them.  
"Are you sure this is what you want? An abortion? I mean, you have other options," Harrison pointed out.  
Stevie pulled away from Harrison.  
"Options? What other options do I have? I can't keep this baby! I'm in school still, I'm working an unpaid internship."  
"Your parents would help out," Harrison said.

Stevie scoffed, "That would just look fucking fantastic. The Secretary of State's 20 year old daughter having a child out of wedlock. I can just imagine the headlines! What? Do I look like Bristol Fucking Palin to you or something?"  
"That's not what I'm saying," Harrison said.  
Even though Stevie was angry, Harrison could see that she was tearing up.  
"Okay, I'm sorry," he said. Stevie wasn't a crier so he suddenly felt awful about the fact that he had upset her.  
He had known Stevie for many years. Ever since they were little kids. They had grown up together basically. Once she put her mind to something, she was going to get it done. She just as stubborn and determined as her mother was, if not even more so. He knew that it was her body, her child, and that there was no way he was going to talk Stevie out of getting an abortion. It was what she wanted. And she was going to do it.

"We have to tell her," Daisy murmured to Blake, standing at his desk.  
"Tell the secretary about Stevie? Are you CRAZY?" Blake replied, in shock.  
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Daisy hissed.  
"Why are we keeping our voices down?" Elizabeth asked, emerging from her office.  
"Oh, hello, Madam Secretary," Blake asked, pretending to straighten some papers on his desk.  
Daisy nodded a 'hello' at Bess.  
"I need the German Ambassador on the phone but first. What's going on? What's with the frantic whispering?" Bess asked the two of them.  
"Oh, it's nothing," Daisy said, plastering on a fake smile so that nothing would seem amiss.  
Bess raised an eyebrow at Daisy.  
"Really, Ma'am, it's nothing," Blake said. "Would you like me to get you the German Ambassador now?"  
"Uh, yes please," Bess replied, confused by her staff's puzzling behaviour.  
She decided to ignore it and just go back into her office and continue her day's work. Something strange had been going on with Blake and Daisy ever since Stevie had been sick the week before. Elizabeth wasn't sure what was going on exactly but she was determined to find out.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Later that night the McCord's were all eating dinner together. It was a rare night where Elizabeth had made it home from work in time to enjoy a nice dinner with her family. She had even cooked the dinner. Or at least she had attempted to make a vegan stir-fry dish that she had found a recipe for online in order to satisfy Stevie. The kids had been telling Elizabeth about their days at school. Elizabeth couldn't tell them much about her day usually due to the confidential nature of her job so she luxuriated in hearing about her families' respective days. Except she noticed that Stevie was being quieter than usual. Stevie was usually a little bit sulky, but tonight she was being uncharacteristically sullen as she just pushed her food around her plate without saying anything. Elizabeth hadn't seen her take a bite yet.  
"Okay, I know my cooking is horrible but you have to at least try it, Stevie," Elizabeth said, trying to keep the mood light. "I even cooked something vegan."  
Stevie sighed, "And I appreciate it, mom."  
"Yeah, this is one of your better attempts, mom," Jason said. "This is actually pretty good. I mean, for a vegan dish anyway."  
Elizabeth chuckled, "Thanks, honey."  
I'm just not hungry. I'm still feeling sick actually. I think I'm just going to head upstairs to bed," Stevie said.  
"You're still sick?" Elizabeth asked her, surprised. "You haven't been feeling well for two weeks?"  
These were the moments where Elizabeth felt guilty for not being home most of the time. She hated hearing that Stevie hadn't been feeling well for the past few _weeks_. And now that she had realized Stevie was sick, she realized that Stevie did look pale and exhausted. She wasn't faking it.  
"Promise you'll go to the health centre on campus tomorrow and get checked out?" Elizabeth asked, biting her lip in worry.  
Stevie nodded. "I promise," she said, seeing the concern etched across her mother's face. She wished she could tell her parents the truth about the baby but she just couldn't do that to them. It would ruin them.  
"I can take you tomorrow," Henry offered.  
"No, that's okay!" Stevie said, more forcefully than she meant to.  
"You sure?" Henry checked. "It's no trouble."  
"Mmmm hmmm," Stevie said. "I'll be fine."  
"Maybe she's pregnant," Jason joked.  
Stevie paled even further at his remark. Had he figured something out about her pregnancy?  
Elizabeth laughed, "That's horrible, Jason. Don't make jokes like that."  
"Yeah, I don't think I'm prepared for that yet," Henry said, also laughing.  
"I'm not pregnant," Stevie said, trying to laugh the remark off even though her voice came out in a high and squeaky voice that she didn't even recognize as her own. "Um, goodnight, guys."  
She got up and carried her uneaten dinner plate to the sink.  
"Goodnight, Baby," Elizabeth said, getting up from the dinner table to give Stevie a hug and a kiss goodnight. "Go rest."  
"Night, honey," Henry said. "Feel better soon."  
"Thanks. Goodnight," Stevie said to her family before she exited the kitchen. 

As she walked up the stairs towards her bedroom, attempting to fight off a wave of "morning sickness"—why did they call it that anyway when it was more like all day sickness—Stevie thought that if only her family knew that Jason's joke wasn't exactly a joke after all. She could still hear them laughing over the ridiculousness of what Jason had said. _It's not so ridiculous after all, Guys_ she thought as she ran into the upstairs bathroom to puke. What did she even have to throw up anyway? She had barely eaten all day because she couldn't keep anything down to begin with. She sighed to herself. She only had to keep the ruse up that she was sick with a persistent flu bug until Friday which is when she had scheduled her appointment for her abortion. It was three days away. She felt terrible about having to lie to her family and she felt even worse that she was making Blake and Daisy lie to her mother but it was what had to be done. Her parents couldn't find out she was pregnant. She just had to keep telling lies for three more days. Three more days. She could do it. She was going to get through this. She was determined to.  
***

"Do you think there's something going on with Stevie?" Elizabeth asked her husband later that night as they were getting ready for bed.  
Henry chuckled, "Isn't there always something going on with Stevie?"  
Elizabeth scoffed and sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. But she's been acting strange lately."  
"She's just under the weather, babe. She'll be back to her old self in a couple of days," Henry said, as her put on a pair of boxer shorts to sleep in.  
"But she's been "under the weather" for a few days now," Elizabeth argued. "And except for the vomiting, she otherwise seems fine."  
"Maybe, it's just stress," Henry explained. "She has her final exams coming up."  
Elizabeth sighed again, not feeling one hundred percent comforted by Henry's words. She didn't like the uneasy feeling that currently sat in the pit of her stomach.  
"I'll drag her to the clinic tomorrow myself if I have to," Henry said, trying to reassure his wife.  
Elizabeth just nodded as she climbed into bed, "Fine."  
Henry crawled into bed beside her and wrapped his arms around his wife. Elizabeth settled into them.  
"Also, I overheard Blake and Daisy having the strangest conversation today," Elizabeth said to her husband.  
Henry laughed, "What else is new?"  
"No, this was different," Elizabeth said. "They were whispering about something and they wouldn't tell me what it was. They're hiding something from me. They were being very secretive."  
"Babe, I think you're just being paranoid," Henry said. "They were probably just gossiping about the latest office romance or something else stupid like that."  
Elizabeth was about to respond when she heard a noise coming from the kids bathroom down the hall.  
"Is she throwing up again?" Elizabeth asked Henry.  
Henry frowned and listened. "I think so."  
"I'll go-" Elizabeth started.  
"You sleep. I'll go check on her," Henry offered as he gave Elizabeth a peck on the forehead.  
Elizabeth nodded.  
Henry got out of bed and padded down the hall in his slippers to the kids' bathroom.  
He knocked on the bathroom door, "Stevie? Are you alright?"  
He opened the door and saw Stevie knelt over the toilet, puking.  
He grabbed her hair and held it back, away from her face like he would do when Stevie was sick when she was a little girl.  
"It's okay, sweetheart. It's alright, darling," He said to Stevie as he rubbed soothing circles into her back.  
* * *

A few days later, Harrison and Stevie walked into an obstetrics clinic in the Metro DC area. They couldn't get past Harrison's security detail while they attempted to sneak out of the White House but the secret service agents had agreed to park in an alleyway behind the clinic to keep Stevie's abortion on the down low. Stevie was sure this was nothing new for them, it was DC after all. And she was sure the clinic was used to it as well. Harrison had disguised himself with a baseball cap and sunglasses and Stevie had wrapped a scarf around her head and also put on a pair of sunglasses. Disguising themselves probably made them look even more suspicious but it was better that they disguise themselves than risk being caught by a gossip rag. She could only imagine what the headlines would be if the Secretary of State's daughter was seen going into a women's health clinic with the President's son. The tabloids and political gossip blogs had already been buzzing about the two of them ever since they had attended the Governor's Reception together a couple of weeks earlier. Stevie sighed to herself. She suddenly realized she was already pregnant with Arthur's child at that time.

She could see other patients in the waiting room staring at them, clearly unnerved by their not-so-incognito-after all disguises but Stevie tried to ignore the stares. She rested her head on Harrison's shoulder while she waited for the nurse to come and get her for her procedure.

When it was her turn, she went through the mandatory counselling session and ultrasound that the clinic required of anybody who was getting an abortion. She even let Harrison be in the room for the ultrasound.  
"Is this the baby's father?" The ultrasound technician had asked.  
Stevie had shaken her head and said, "No, he's just a friend."  
She had grabbed Harrison's hand during the ultrasound and squeezed it, as she looked away from the screen, blinking back tears. She didn't want to form an attachment to the fetus growing inside of her. She couldn't.  
"Do you want a sonogram?" The nurse asked with an empathetic tone in her voice.  
Stevie simply shook her head.

The nurse sent Stevie and Harrison back out to the waiting room while they set up for the actual abortion procedure. Stevie tried reading a magazine but she couldn't focus. She rested a hand on her stomach as the full weight of what she was about to do sunk in. She stared at the people around her in the waiting room. There were happy expectant couples, the pregnant women's bellies protruding. There were also some pregnant women who were there alone, they were reading books and listening to music. Some of the women looked to be around her age which shocked her. But she could also tell who the women were who were there for the same reason she was—for an abortion. She could see guilt and sadness spread across the faces of these women. If she took off her oversized sunglasses, she was sure that her face would demonstrate a similar look of shame, sadness and guilt. She felt bile rising up in her throat. She quickly stood up from her chair and bolted from the clinic. She was out the door, before Harrison even had a chance to go after her.  
"Stevie!" he called, running after her.  
He found her in the alley behind the clinic, not far from his limousine, throwing up into a trash bin.  
"Stevie? Is everything alright?" he asked her, running over to her. "Did you have a bout of morning sickness?"  
Stevie shook her head. "I can't do this."  
"Can't do what?" Harrison asked, confused.  
"Have the abortion," Stevie said.  
"Stevie, you _have _to get the abortion. Isn't this what you want?" Harrison responded, his eyes crinkling in concern. He wasn't angry at her for changing her mind; he was just worried about her and what the impact of this decision would be.  
"I can't do it. I feel too guilty," Stevie said.  
"You said so yourself, you're still in school. Not to mention you're the _Secretary of State's daughter_!" Harrison argued.  
And you're the First Son," Stevie shot back.  
"Touché," Harrison replied, sighing.  
"I can't do this. I'm not having the abortion. I'm keeping it," Stevie said.  
Harrison realized Stevie had started crying.  
"I don't know what I'm going to do about school, or work, or my parents…" she started saying before she trailed off so that she could brush away her tears.  
"But I have to do this," she said, continuing. "I'll figure everything out eventually. I'm keeping it. I'm keeping the baby." 

To Be Continued… 


	5. Chapter 5

Stevie loudly sighed as she made yet another unsuccessful attempt to button up her jeans. She was now four months pregnant and she was starting to gain weight. Not enough to notice a baby bump yet but she was getting big enough that her clothes were beginning to feel tight. She finally gave up trying to put jeans on and instead managed to squeeze into a black pencil skirt. She made a mental note to herself to find some free time to go shopping for new clothes later that week. Because she hadn't told her parents about the pregnancy yet, she was just grateful that so far her biggest problem in life was her clothes not fitting properly. But she knew she had to tell her parents about her pregnancy sooner rather than later; before she started gaining more weight and they put the pieces together. But today was not going to be that day. She just wasn't ready to drop that bombshell on them yet. Their lives were finally starting to get back to normal—or at least as normal as they were ever going to be—after Iran and the hearing and Stevie wanted things to stay "normal" for just a little bit longer. Not just for her own sake but for Allison and Jason as well. Stevie sighed to herself as she grabbed her purse and left the house for work. She still hadn't told Arthur that she was pregnant with his child but she was grateful that he was allowing her to do a summer internship at the Microloans office.

Later that evening, after a long day working at the Microloans office, Stevie walked inside her house and found her father, brother and sister sitting around the dinner table.  
"Where's mom?" Stevie asked, putting her purse down and taking her shoes off.  
"She had a charity event to attend tonight," Henry said. "Come and sit down with us. I made pasta for dinner. It's vegan."  
"Thanks, dad," Stevie said, walking over to the stove and making herself a plate.  
"So how much longer is this vegan thing going to last, Stevie? I'm getting tired of vegan food," Jason said.  
"Jason!" Henry scolded.  
Jason responded by rolling his eyes.  
"You might not have to endure it for much longer, bud," Stevie cryptically said. Because of the pregnancy and the ensuing food cravings she was beginning to develop, she had been secretly considering giving up veganism. At least for the duration of her pregnancy.  
Allison started laughing. "Wow, you never stick with anything. Do you, Stevie?"  
"Okay guys, that's enough," Henry said, playing the role of the peacemaker in Elizabeth's absence. Henry didn't understand Stevie's veganism either but he was supporting his daughter because like his other two children, he knew Stevie would give it up eventually.  
Stevie just glared at her siblings as she took a bite of pasta.  
"Your birthday is coming up," Henry said to Stevie, changing the subject.  
Stevie nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, it is. So what?"  
"Well, 21 is a big one. Don't you want to do something to celebrate?" Henry asked.  
Stevie shrugged, "Not really. Let's just have a family dinner at home that night."  
"Um, okay," Henry said, slightly surprised. Part of him was relieved that Stevie didn't want to go out partying or clubbing until the wee hours of the morning to ring in her 21st, like some other girls Stevie's age would want to do but the other part of him was bewildered. This wasn't like Stevie. He thought she would at least want to have a party with her friends. The more he thought about it, he realized that Stevie hadn't been herself lately. He had noticed little changes in her behaviour since she had been sick with the flu two months prior. Nothing big but minor changes such as wanting to give up veganism out of the blue as an example. He had been chalking it up to stress since Stevie was trying to juggle summer classes with her internship and a second paid job she had taken on as a receptionist at a car dealership but now he was beginning to wonder if there was something else going on with Stevie that he didn't know about.

_2:03 AM  
_Stevie stared in frustration at the glowing green numbers on her beside alarm clock. It was 2 AM and she had been unable to fall asleep. She had heard her mom come home from her charity event about an hour ago and head upstairs to join her father in bed. No matter what she did, she just couldn't fall asleep, she had too many things running through her mind; about the baby, about her job, school, you name it. Her growling stomach wasn't helping things either.  
She sighed to herself and placed her hand on her stomach.  
"Come on, baby. Let's go get a snack," she whispered.

She quietly tiptoed downstairs and pulled out the fixings for grilled cheese.  
"_You're _eating processed cheese?" She suddenly heard while she was in the middle of making her sandwich.  
Stevie turned around and saw Allison coming down the stairs in her pajamas.  
"Wow, you weren't kidding around when you said you were considering giving up veganism," Allison remarked.  
Stevie decided to ignore the comment. "What are you doing up?"  
Allison shrugged, "I couldn't sleep."  
Stevie sighed, "Me neither. Do you want a grilled cheese sandwich?"  
Allison shrugged again, "Sure."

A few minutes later, Allison and Stevie were curled up together on the couch in the family room with mugs of chamomile tea and their sandwiches.  
"So, I need to talk to you about something," Stevie said to Allison.  
"If you're back together with Harrison, I already know. It's all over the tabloids," Allison said.  
"It's not that," Stevie said. "And for the record, I'm not dating Harrison. We're just friends."  
Allison scoffed and shrugged. She took a sip of her tea, "Well what's going on then? You look worried."  
"I'm," Stevie hesitated for a moment. "I'm pregnant."  
"Wait? Like with...a baby?" Allison asked, in shock. "You're kidding, right?"  
Stevie quietly laughed, "Yes, silly. Of course with a baby! And no, I'm not joking. I'm about sixteen weeks along. You're going to be an auntie."  
"You're keeping it?" Allison nervously asked.  
Stevie nodded. "I was going to get an abortion but I changed my mind once I got to the clinic. I couldn't go through with it. It would hurt too much."  
"Do mom and dad know?" Allison asked.  
Stevie shook her head. "I need to tell them, I know. It's just not the right time. Mom's so busy at work right now. This will destroy them."  
Allison nodded, "I know."  
"And when I tell them, it's going to turn into this whole big thing. We'll have to tell the press and the public will start prying into our private lives again," Stevie explained.  
Allison nodded again in agreement.  
"Now that we're past everything that came out of the Iran situation, things are finally becoming somewhat normal around here again," Stevie continued.  
"I know," Allison repeated. "But you have to tell them. The sooner you tell mom and dad, the easier it will be."  
Stevie nodded and slowly sipped her tea.  
"But for what it's worth, I'm going to help and support you and the baby whatever way I can. Changing diapers, babysitting, whatever you need," Allison said.  
"Thanks, sis," Stevie said, smiling at her younger sister.  
"You know, I _did _notice that your face _is_ getting puffier," Allison teased in a sing-song voice.  
Stevie smirked and lightly punched her sister's shoulder. "Shut up!"  
The two sisters quietly laughed so as not to wake up Jason and their parents before finishing their late-night snack and retiring upstairs to their rooms so that they could both attempt to get a few hours of sleep that night.

To Be Continued...

_Author's Notes: Sorry it took me so long to update but I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks to those of you who have left reviews, they are appreciated! Keep the feedback coming! _


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thanks for your patience while I wrote this chapter! I'll try to update more frequently but no promises since school is starting again soon for me. **

"Everything looks good. The baby is healthy and your pregnancy is progressing along well," Stevie's doctor said to her as she moved the ultrasound transducer across Stevie's slightly protruding pregnant belly.  
"Here's the heartbeat," The doctor said. She stopped talking for a moment so that Stevie and Allison could hear.  
"Oh, wow," Allison McCord said in awe.  
Stevie turned her head to look over at her younger sister and saw a look of pure joy and excitement on Allison's face as they watched Stevie's baby float around on the ultrasound screen. They were at Stevie's twenty week appointment. Stevie hadn't wanted to go alone and Allison was happy to tag along with her older sister. Their parents still didn't know about the pregnancy; Stevie and Allison had lied to their parents about their plans for that Thursday afternoon. They had told them that they were having a girl's day. Elizabeth and Henry didn't think anything of it, they just thought it was sweet of Stevie to take Allison out; they were happy to see their two daughters getting along with each other better than they had in years. The two girls felt guilty about lying to their parents but they had to admit, Stevie's pregnancy had caused their bond as sisters to grow stronger than ever. To go along with the girls day ruse, the sisters had gotten their nails done and gone out for lunch together but after lunch, they had gone to Stevie's ultrasound appointment.  
"Do you want to find out the sex of the baby?" the doctor asked Stevie.  
"No, I want to keep it a surprise," Stevie said.  
"Aww, come on!" Allison whined, causing the doctor to chuckle.  
Stevie just smirked at her younger sister.  
"Well, you are good to go. Make another appointment for next month on your way out," The doctor said, handing Stevie a sonogram.  
Stevie smiled at the doctor, "Thanks."  
The doctor nodded and smiled, "No problem."  
The doctor and Allison stepped out of the room to give Stevie some privacy while she got cleaned up and changed out of the hospital gown she was wearing and back into her regular clothes.

"Want to go get some ice cream?" Stevie asked Allison, after she emerged out of the exam room.  
Allison nodded, "Sure. Having a pregnancy craving?"  
Stevie smirked, "You could say that." More like Stevie had been fantasizing about ice cream all day.  
Allison chuckled and Stevie smiled. She made her appointment for next month and went to the car with Allison. As she got into the driver's seat, Allison noticed Stevie's baby bump even though Stevie was wearing a red maxi dress that did a pretty good job of camouflaging her pregnant stomach. Since it was July, Stevie had bought a ton of maxi dresses and long flowing skirts in order to hide her baby bump. And so far it was working. It was obvious she had gained weight but most people who didn't know otherwise believed it was just that—weight gain. Stevie did feel bad about lying by omission to most of the people she knew about the pregnancy but at the same time, she couldn't believe she was getting away with hiding it. But that was all going to change that week. Stevie was ready to come clean to her parents and to Arthur.  
"I can't believe you're going to be a mother," Allison said, staring at the sonogram of the baby that the doctor had given them. "And I can't believe mom and dad are going to become grandparents."  
"I know," Stevie said. Even though she was already five months pregnant, she was still getting used to the idea herself.  
"Hey? I thought we were going to get ice cream?" Allison asked after Stevie had been driving for a few minutes. Allison was confused as she looked up from fiddling with the car radio, noticing they were driving through a residential area.  
"We need to make a quick detour first," Stevie said.  
"To?" Allison asked.  
"Arthur's place," Stevie said.  
Allison gasped, "You're going to tell him about the baby?"  
Stevie nodded, "Yep. And you're coming along for moral support."  
Allison just nodded, "Of course. No problem."  
A few minutes later they pulled up to a townhouse which Allison assumed was Arthur's.  
"Want me to come inside with you?" Allison asked.  
Stevie nodded as she parked the car in Arthur's driveway. "Yes, please."  
The two girls nervously walked up to Arthur's front door and rang the doorbell. Stevie and Allison heard rustling and shuffling coming from inside as Arthur was probably coming to answer the door.  
"Stevie?" he said with a perplexed expression on his face when he opened the door.  
"Hi, Arthur," Stevie said.  
"Hi," Arthur said, surprised to see Stevie. "Is everything alright? You're not going to try to quit your job again are you? Because I'm telling you we really need—"  
"Can we come in?" Stevie asked, gesturing to Allison, cutting off Arthur's rambling. "I need to talk to you about something."  
"Oh, yes. Of course," Arthur said, staring at the brunette standing beside Stevie. "Allison, right?"  
Allison just nodded, trying to hide her nervousness. She had no idea how this conversation was going to go.  
"Can I get you girls anything?" Arthur awkwardly offered as he led Stevie and Allison into his cozy living room.  
"No, thank you," Stevie said, taking a seat on one end of Arthur's couch. Allison sat down beside her. Stevie had been to Arthur's house tons of times when they were dating, and yet being there in her current situation felt surreal.  
"So what's this all about?" Arthur asked, sitting down in an armchair across from Stevie and Allison. "Not that I mind or anything. This was just unexpected."  
Stevie decided to come right out and say it. She took a deep breath before making her announcement. "I'm pregnant."  
"What?" Arthur said, his face turning white.  
Stevie reached into her purse and found her sonogram from her appointment that day. She handed it to him.  
"I'm five months along," she said.  
Arthur stared at the sonogram in shock before putting his head in his hands.  
"It's mine?" Arthur asked for confirmation.  
Stevie nodded.  
"I'm gonna give you two a minute," Allison said quietly. She got up from the couch and left Arthur's house, deciding to wait for Stevie on Arthur's front steps. 

"This is not good," Arthur said to Stevie once Allison had left the room.  
"I know. But you don't have to be in this child's life if you don't want to be. I won't mention who the father is when we announce the pregnancy to the press. I will find a way to keep you completely anonymous. And I am quitting my internship. For real this time. Consider this my two weeks' notice," Stevie began.  
"You don't have to do that, Stevie," Arthur said.  
"No, Arthur I do. Remember what Daisy said? The words boss, internship and sex don't go well together in this town. And now getting pregnant by said boss? It won't go over well if people find out you're the baby's father and I'm still working for you. I have a receptionist job and I might start hostessing again to make some extra money before the baby comes. I'll be fine," Stevie argued. She took another deep breath.  
"Now, I'm gonna give you some time to think," Stevie continued. "Like I said, you don't have to be in the baby's life if you don't want to be. I won't even ask you for child support or anything. I'm prepared to raise this child on my own. I'll make it work."  
"Stevie," Arthur started.  
Stevie put a hand up to silence him. "Just think it over, okay? It's a big decision. Like obviously I won't stop you if you want to help me parent this child, but if you don't. That's okay, too. I'll understand. Like I said, I can do it by myself. I'm ready."  
She picked up her purse and stood up.  
"My parents don't know yet but I'm telling them this week. We'll have to send a statement to the press after that so I just thought I would give you a heads up so that you didn't have to find out from the press," Stevie explained. "So I'm going to go now and give you some time to think, like I said."  
Stevie walked out of Arthur's house as quickly as she could, ignoring Arthur's pleading that she should stay so that they could discuss it. Stevie whipped around before she reached the doorway and faced Arthur.  
"There's nothing more to discuss. I said everything I needed to say. We can talk about it again in a couple of days. As I said before, I just thought you deserved to know the truth."  
Stevie walked out onto the front stoop and grabbed Allison's arm. "Let's go."  
With one last glance behind them at Arthur, the girls walked over to Stevie's car and drove away.  
* * *

The next day, Stevie was glad she had Fridays off from her internship. It would give Arthur the weekend to process the news that he was going to become a father again. But since Stevie was working at her receptionist job that day, she hadn't really had time to process everything that had happened the day before when she told Arthur. She had been too busy with work and her summer school homework. After all the stress she had gone through the day before and that morning, Stevie was currently taking a well deserved break. She had walked to the convenience store that was near the car dealership where she worked. Walking there on her breaks was becoming an almost daily routine of hers. Every day around the same time, she would start craving Cheetos and chocolate. She had heard women talk about pregnancy cravings before and she always thought they sounded crazy until she started experiencing wild pregnancy cravings of her own. She was minding her own business, while she was waiting in line to pay for her snacks when the cover of a tabloid magazine caught her eye. Stevie usually ignored what the tabloids said because she knew all the stories were garbage anyway, but this headline directly concerned her. She grabbed the magazine and scanned the cover.

_Secretary of State's Daughter, Stephanie McCord, PREGNANT! _read the headline. There was another line of text below it.  
_The pregnancy scandal that is going to rock the nation!_

The magazine cover used a paparazzi photo of Stevie that Stevie hadn't even realized had been taken. The paps must have been doing an extremely good job of hiding when they snapped these photos of her. The picture they chose for the cover was an extremely unflattering one. Stevie did not have a lick of makeup on and her hair was in a messy bun. She was wearing a navy blue Georgetown hoodie and grey sweatpants, probably in a desperate attempt to hide her burgeoning baby belly. She remembered this day. Her parents had asked her to run some errands for them. In the photo, she was walking back to her dad's car, carrying a bag of chips in one hand and a Strawberries and Cream frappuccino from Starbucks in the other.

After a few seconds, Stevie realized she was holding up the convenience store line by staring at the magazine cover. Embarrassed, she added the magazine to her purchases and quickly paid, praying that the cashier didn't recognize her from the magazine cover. She was relieved when she was able to pay and get out of the store, without incident. She still had a few minutes of her break left so she went to a nearby park and sat down on a bench so that she could read the story about her and her pregnancy. 

Once she started reading the article, she almost wanted to laugh. The article was pure speculation of course. It was typical of a tabloid article about a famous person's supposed "pregnancy." The "article" used the same photo from the cover and a few more from that day as well. Most of the pregnancy "speculation" was because of Stevie's recent clothing choices and weight gain. And seriously, even Stevie could admit to herself that sweats in August when DC was in the middle of a heat wave _was_ unusual, but Stevie had just been trying to hide her baby bump and she wasn't thinking clearly. The article also talked about a recent White House event that Stevie had attended with Harrison—a summer barbecue. It mentioned how Stevie was spotted abstaining from alcohol at the party and was only seen sipping water. The article argued that was strange because Stevie had recently turned 21. Stevie quietly chuckled at that. The speculation that somebody was pregnant because they were seen drinking water and not alcohol always amused her; people abstained from drinking for all kinds of reasons, not just pregnancy in a woman's case. The article also had a few photos of her and Harrison at the event. That day, Stevie had chosen to wear a black and white striped maxi dress that she had borrowed from Allison. The dress camouflaged her pregnancy pretty well but the weight gain was still obvious especially in her face and arms. And of course the stupid magazine had photoshopped arrows pointing towards Stevie's stomach in the pictures with words and captions that said things like "Baby Bump!" and "Baby on Board!"

Stevie closed the magazine and sighed to herself. She bet the magazine had found its way to her mother by now. Daisy had been on high alert for stories like this ever since the day Blake and Daisy took the pregnancy test with Stevie. She was going to tell her parents about the baby that night anyway but this story—if you could even call it a "story", tabloid "journalism" was the worst—had definitely put the pressure on her to tell her family the entire truth about the pregnancy as soon as possible.

* * * *

"Have you seen this yet?"  
Blake barely had any time to look up from what he was working on before Daisy had dropped a glossy tabloid magazine onto his desk. He picked it up and glanced at the cover. Blake was at a loss for words and his heart broke for Stevie as he examined at the cover and started skimming the article inside.  
"Has she seen it yet?" Blake asked Daisy, referring to his boss, Elizabeth McCord.  
Daisy sadly shook her head and sighed, "I'm showing it to her right now. Wish me luck."  
"Stevie _still_ hasn't told her parents?" Blake murmured quietly.

Daisy shook her head. "She just texted me after she saw the magazine. She's coming clean to them about everything tonight."  
Blake nodded, making a mental note in his head to be on standby that night in case Elizabeth _or_ Stevie needed anything.  
The assistant and the press secretary stopped talking when they saw Elizabeth emerge from her office to say goodbye to the foreign minister she had been meeting with and to tell Blake to bring in her next appointment.  
"Ma'am, could I have a second of your time before your next meeting?" Daisy asked. "You have a couple of free minutes in between appointments."  
"Of course," Elizabeth said, ushering Daisy into her office. "What's going on?"  
If Daisy needed to speak to Elizabeth, Elizabeth knew it couldn't be good.  
"It's about your daughter, Stevie, Ma'am," Daisy said.  
"Oh, what happened?" Elizabeth nervously asked. Daisy saw her bosses face fall. Daisy knew the Secretary wanted to keep her children out of the press as much as possible and that she hated when her family got dragged through the mud. As Elizabeth always said "The press can attack me all they want, but keep Henry and the kids out of it." Unfortunately, paparazzi had been hiding in the bushes at the right time at the right place in order to snap the compromising photos of Stevie.

Daisy didn't say anything and simply handed the magazine over to her boss. She watched the emotions on Elizabeth's face turn from annoyance, to sadness, disappointment and finally amusement, in just a matter of minutes as Elizabeth examined the cover and skimmed the article inside. Suddenly, Elizabeth broke out into hysterical laughter.

"Ma'am?" Daisy said, frowning. Daisy couldn't figure out what was funny about the situation.

"I'm sorry, Daisy. I don't mean to laugh, it's not a laughing matter," Elizabeth said, gaining her composure as she walked behind her desk and sat down. "I feel bad for Stevie of course but aren't tabloids just ridiculous when it comes to pregnancy rumours? Women gain and lose weight all the time. Women drink water instead of alcohol all the time, for various reasons. It doesn't mean they're pregnant. Of course she didn't drink at that White House barbecue. She was with Harrison; she wasn't going to jeopardize his sobriety by drinking. And Henry and I did notice that Stevie put on a bit of weight but it's no big deal. She quit being a vegan so her body is probably just adjusting to the changes in her eating habits. She's been under a lot of stress recently, working two jobs and taking summer classes. She's just been snacking more and working out less."  
Elizabeth started to quietly chuckle again at what she thought was a ridiculous story, before regaining her composure.  
"Daisy, please put out a statement to the press denying these rumors and assert that Stevie is definitely not pregnant," Elizabeth said to the younger woman.  
Daisy knew she was stuck in a sticky situation. Of course, she could deny the pregnancy to the press. Except she knew that when Stevie told her parents about her pregnancy, that a statement saying Stevie _was_ indeed pregnant would have to go out to the press anyway. Leaving the door open for the press and the public at large to call the State Department, The Secretary, and her family, liars and hypocrites. Since the congressional hearing several months ago, the press Elizabeth had been receiving had been relatively positive, after the whole Iran coup ordeal and the congressional hearing, Daisy knew the State Department and her boss didn't need any more negative press. And denying, then confirming, a pregnancy in the secretary's family, would definitely lead to terrible press for the State Department and the McCord family.  
Daisy didn't know what she was going to do so she simply turned her back and was about to leave her bosses office when she nervously bit her lip. She turned back around so that she was facing her boss.  
"Madam Secretary?" Daisy said.  
"Yes, Daisy?" Elizabeth said, the nervous look on Daisy's face not escaping her.  
"I think you need to cancel the rest of your meetings for the day and go home to talk to Stevie," Daisy said.  
Elizabeth frowned, "Why?"  
Daisy sighed, "You just have to talk to her. Make sure Dr. McCord is present as well."  
Elizabeth didn't like the fact that Daisy was being cagey but she nodded.  
"I mean," Daisy hesitated. "She's probably embarrassed by the story." Daisy recovered, coming up for a plausible excuse to get Elizabeth to go home so she and Stevie could talk and Stevie could tell her parents about the pregnancy.  
Elizabeth nodded,  
"Of course," she said as she got up from her desk. She walked out into the outer office so that she could talk to Blake and Nadine about clearing her schedule for the rest of the day and evening.

Henry was in his office at the National War College, grading summer school papers when he received a text from Stevie.  
_Are you going to be home tonight? I need to talk to you and mom about something. _

As he read it, his phone rang. He smiled when he saw Elizabeth's name on the call display.  
"Hey, babe. How's work going?" He asked.  
Elizabeth chuckled, "Work is...going. I'm actually on my way home now though. I'm calling it a day."  
Henry looked at his watch and frowned. "This early? It's only three PM."  
Elizabeth sighed, "Something came to my attention. Have you seen the cover of _InTouch Weekly _today?"  
Henry frowned to himself, "No. Why?"  
Elizabeth sighed again, "Stevie's on the cover. There's a story about her. Daisy said we should go home and talk to her about it."  
"Well, what's the story about?" Henry asked. He and Elizabeth tried to keep their children out of the press as much as possible but sometimes, stories about them were inevitable. Especially now that Stevie was sort of dating Harrison Dalton.  
Elizabeth started laughing, "They're saying she's four or five months pregnant. Can you believe that?"  
"Unbelievable," Henry said, chuckling a little. He had noticed that Stevie had gained some weight recently but him and Elizabeth had just attributed it to her giving up veganism and not having time to exercise between her summer classes and her busy work schedule. He figured Stevie must be embarrassed by the pregnancy story in the tabloids if she had seen it by now.  
"Daisy told me to go home early because she wants me to talk to Stevie about it," Elizabeth explained. "She was being kind of cagey though. I think there's something going on with Stevie. Whether it's about this or something else, I'm not sure. But we should probably talk to her together and get the low down on whatever it is that's going on. I feel like Daisy isn't telling me something."  
"That does sound strange," Henry remarked. "I'm gonna finish up here as well so that we can talk to Stevie together."  
"Sounds like a plan," Elizabeth said. "See you at home, babe."  
"Yep, see you at home," Henry said.  
"I love you," Elizabeth said.  
"Love you, too, babe." 

* * * * *  
When Stevie got home from work, all she wanted to do was take a nice hot relaxing bath. She had felt nauseated and tired all afternoon from just anticipating the stress the tabloid story was going to cause her and her family. She knew this kind of intense stress wasn't good for the baby so now she needed something to calm her nerves. She was walking up the stairs to the bathroom when she heard her mom's voice coming from the living room.  
"Hey, honey."  
Stevie started walking back down the stairs and into the living room. Her parents were sitting beside each other on the couch.  
"You guys are home early," Stevie commented.  
"We know. We wanted to talk to you," Henry said.  
"About what?" Stevie asked, playing dumb. She knew this was about the tabloid story, but she couldn't let on to her parents that she already knew about the magazine.  
"About this," Elizabeth said, getting straight to the point as she was prone to do.  
Stevie watched as her mother picked up that week's issue of _InTouch _from the coffee table and handed it to her.  
"Yeah, I saw this already. While I was buying a snack on my lunch break," Stevie explained.  
Elizabeth gave a defeated sigh. "Honey, we are _so_ sorry. The tabloids are ridiculous. Just because you gained some weight, doesn't mean they have the right to concoct an absurd story like this."  
"Yeah, sweetheart. The tabloids are despicable to begin with but doing this was low. Even for them," Henry said. "But we'll get through this together. As a family. Like we always do."  
Stevie sighed. She knew if she was going to tell her parents about the baby, it was now or never. _Here goes nothing_ Stevie thought to herself.  
"Actually, Mom. Dad. The story isn't _exactly_ made up," Stevie said.  
Elizabeth frowned and her eyes crinkled with concern, "What do you mean, baby?"  
Stevie saw a similar confused and concerned frown as her mother's reflected on her dad's face as well.  
Stevie sighed, "_InTouch_ didn't make this up. I _am_ pregnant. Five months." 

To Be Continued...

**Author's Note to thepuppiesinpink: The moment of processing between Henry and Elizabeth is coming in the next chapter, I promise!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as the words came tumbling out of Stevie's mouth, Stevie noticed the dumbfounded expression on both of her parent's faces. She saw her father's brow furrow in concern.  
"You're not possibly...you can't be thinking of..." Henry stammered.  
It wasn't often that Stevie saw her parents at a loss for words like this. Stevie noticed the realization dawn on Henry that Stevie was too far along in her pregnancy to get an abortion.  
"Henry!" Elizabeth scolded, realizing what Henry was thinking.  
"She..." Henry started responding to Elizabeth before he turned towards Stevie. "You have options, honey. That's all I'm saying."  
"It's her choice, Henry," Elizabeth pointed out.  
Stevie was surprised her mother was taking it so well. Elizabeth was of course shocked by the news as Stevie had expected; Stevie couldn't recall another instance in her life where her mother had looked so surprised. But Elizabeth was taking the news a lot better than Stevie had anticipated. Henry on the other hand, was furious. Stevie didn't blame him.  
"Listen, I know this is a huge shock. And I don't blame you if you're disappointed in me. I'd be disappointed too if it was my twenty-one year old daughter who was pregnant out of wedlock. But I don't want financial assistance or anything from you guys. I have it all planned out! I'm going to work two jobs next semester instead of taking classes, and I'm going to find my own place for me and the baby to live in—" Stevie rambled.  
"Who's the father?" Elizabeth quietly asked, silently praying that the answer wouldn't be Harrison Dalton.  
"It's Arthur's child," Stevie awkwardly answered. "I told him about the pregnancy but he hasn't given me an answer yet about whether or not he wants to be involved in the child's life."  
Stevie watched as her mother put her head in her hands and start rubbing her temples in circles.  
"Oh, Stevie..." was all Elizabeth could say.  
"Get out," Henry suddenly said. Stevie heard the anger in his voice.  
"Henry," Elizabeth said, looking up from her hands. "Don't kick her out. We need to discuss this. As a family."  
"Get out," Henry repeated; with even more venom in his voice than the first time he said it. Elizabeth and Stevie had never seen Henry react in such an angry way to anything ever before. Even when Stevie had accidentally crashed her parents car when she was seventeen. Elizabeth could see that Henry was trembling with rage.  
Stevie just silently nodded and grabbed her purse.  
"Stevie, wait," Elizabeth pleaded.  
"No, mom. It's fine. I'll let you and dad talk," Stevie quietly said. She didn't really want to be around her father while he was that angry at her anyway. She figured it was better to find herself a hotel room for the night, and to give her parents the space they needed to process the news they had just received. Before Elizabeth could protest any further, Stevie was out the door and getting into her car.

Blake was getting ready for a night out on the town with his friends. It had been a stressful week at work and he needed a fun night out. He was just spritzing on some cologne when he heard a knock on the door of his condo. He frowned and went to answer it. He figured something at work had come up and he was needed at the State Department. Instead, he was surprised to see Stevie McCord standing in front of him, in the condo's hallway.  
"S-Stevie," Blake stammered.  
"Hi, Blake," Stevie said, in an unusual cheery and sunny tone. Blake noticed her gently cradling her burgeoning baby bump. "Can I come in?"  
"Um, sure. Of course," Blake said. He had no idea how she had even gotten a hold of his personal address.  
"Oh, God. You were on your way out," Stevie realized as she entered Blake's apartment. He was dressed in a suit and tie as usual but Stevie noticed he looked extra spiffy tonight and she could smell his cologne.  
"Yeah, I was on my way to meet some friends for drinks. But it's okay. I'm actually pretty tired," Blake said.  
Stevie could tell he was lying but she was relieved that her coming over unexpected like this didn't bother him.  
Blake was about to ask Stevie what she was doing there until he remembered that this was the night that she was going to tell her parents about the baby.  
"So, did you...?" Blake asked, trailing off since he knew Stevie would understand what he meant.  
Stevie nodded.  
"And?" Blake asked.  
"They took it as well as can be expected. And by that I mean, not well at all," Stevie replied, plopping down on Blake's living room couch, setting her purse beside her. Blake sat down in an armchair across from her.  
"That's why I'm here actually. Daisy gave me your address. I hope that's alright," Stevie said, awkwardly. "My parents—or actually, my dad—kicked me out of the house."  
Blake widened his eyes in shock but he didn't say anything. He knew they wouldn't be happy about her pregnancy but he hadn't expected Doctor McCord to go that far.  
"I tried to get a hotel room but my credit card is maxed out. And I've drifted apart from most of my friends during the pregnancy. I tried calling Daisy but her parents are visiting from out of town this weekend. So she gave me your address. I hope that's okay."  
"Of course. It's fine. You can stay here tonight," Blake reassured her. "On the couch."  
Having his boss's daughter sleeping over at his apartment that night was going to be strange but he realized she had nowhere else to go since sleeping over at the White House with Harrison was out of the question with all the pregnancy speculation that was going on about her in the press.  
"Thanks, Blake," Stevie gratefully said. She smiled at him and he returned her smile.  
"On one condition," Blake said.  
"Yes?" Stevie asked.  
"I'm telling your mother that you're here," Blake said. No matter how angry her parents were about the pregnancy, Blake knew they would be worried about Stevie. Or at least that Elizabeth would be.  
Stevie sighed and absentmindedly ran her right hand through her hair, "I guess that's fair."  
"It is," Blake said. "She's probably worried sick about you. No matter how mad or disappointed she is about the pregnancy."  
Stevie nodded as she rested a hand on her belly. The both of them heard Stevie's stomach grumble.  
Stevie chuckled, "I think the baby's hungry."  
Blake smiled at the young women sitting beside him and chuckled as well. "I think she is, too."  
"She?" Stevie asked.  
Blake shrugged, "I think you're having a girl."  
Stevie just smiled and shrugged, "We'll see. I guess."  
Stevie had been secretly hoping for a daughter.  
"Yes, we will. Indeed," Blake said quietly. More so to himself than to Stevie.  
"What was that?" Stevie asked.  
"Mmm, nothing," Blake said and changed the subject. "So what are we going to do about dinner? I'm not really much of a cook but I could make you a sandwich. Or we could order a pizza? Your mother told me that you're not a vegan anymore."  
"Pizza sounds good," Stevie said. "The baby's been craving it."  
Blake smirked, "The baby's craving it? Or you are?"  
"Shut up," Stevie said, lightly throwing one of the couch cushions at Blake.  
Blake just chuckled. "Pizza it is. Pepperoni okay?"  
Stevie nodded. "Sounds great."  
"Perfect. I'll go order it but first I'm phoning your mother," Blake said.  
Stevie nodded again.  
"Here's the TV remote," Blake said, handing it to Stevie. "Put on whatever you want."  
"Thanks," Stevie said as Blake grabbed his iPhone from the coffee table and walked into his bedroom, out of earshot from Stevie. 

Elizabeth and Henry were sitting in a tense, awkward silence at their dining room table. Allison and Jason were both away at sleepovers that night. Which is probably why Stevie had dropped her bombshell on them that night, Elizabeth realized. In the wake of Stevie's news, the two of them had eaten dinner together in an angry silence. This wasn't like them. They were usually able to openly discuss family issues. But they had never experienced something as big as this before. Elizabeth was worried about how Henry had reacted to the news. She had been watching him clench and unclench his jaw all throughout dinner. It wasn't that Elizabeth was over the moon about the pregnancy or anything. She was disappointed in Stevie but at the same time, she understood why her daughter had decided to keep the baby.  
"I wasn't much older than Stevie is now when I had her," Elizabeth said, breaking the silence as she got up to bring their empty dinner plates to the kitchen.  
"You were 27," Henry said bitterly. "You were working on your PhD. You were already working for the CIA. We were financially stable for the most part. Stevie isn't even finished college! She'll probably never finish now that she's going to have an infant to take care of."  
"Henry—" Elizabeth was going to respond when her Blackberry suddenly rang.  
Henry rolled his eyes. Leave it to her job to interrupt important moments like this one.  
"It's Blake. I have to take this," Elizabeth said, giving Henry an apologetic look.  
"Of course," was all Henry said.  
"Hello?" Elizabeth said, answering her phone.  
"Madam Secretary?" Blake asked.  
"Yes, Blake. Is everything alright? Did something happen?" Elizabeth asked nervously.  
"Um, yes. Everything's fine, I think," Blake said.  
"Okay, so...?" Elizabeth asked, confused as to why Blake was calling her.  
"Well, there _is_ something," Blake said.  
"Go on," Elizabeth replied.  
"If you're wondering where Stevie is, don't worry. She got my address from Daisy and she's staying here tonight. On the couch of course."  
Elizabeth sighed in relief. She hadn't agreed with Henry's decision to kick Stevie out of the house so she was glad that Stevie was somewhere safe with someone she trusted.  
"So you know about...?" Elizabeth asked.  
"Yes, ma'am..." Blake answered, not wanting his boss to know that he had known about Stevie's pregnancy all along. "I know it's a little awkward, ma'am. Considering she's the bosses daughter and all. But I'll take good care of her."  
"I know you will, Blake. Thank you," Elizabeth said.  
"No problem, Madam Secretary," Blake said.  
"Have a good night," Elizabeth replied.  
"Thanks," Blake replied. "I'm sorry in advance if I'm overstepping, Madam Secretary. I just wanted to say that I know this is probably a shock to you and your husband. I was shocked when I found out about the pregnancy, too. But you and Dr. McCord should try your best to have a good night as well."  
Elizabeth let out a sigh she didn't even realize she had been holding in.  
"Thank you, Blake," she said. God, she loved that kid. She wished she could give him a raise. "I'll see you at work on Monday, I guess," she said.  
"Yes, Madam Secretary. See you then," Blake said and hung up his phone. 

He opened one of his dresser drawers and found a T-shirt for Stevie to sleep in that night. When he walked back to the living room he saw Stevie touching her stomach and staring at her bump with wide eyes.  
"Everything okay?" he asked, concerned.  
"The baby just kicked for the first time!" Stevie excitedly said. "I mean, I've felt movement and fluttering for the past few weeks. But this was an actual, real, genuine kick."  
Stevie was grinning from ear to ear.  
"Feel," she excitedly said, grabbing Blake's hand when he sat down beside her. She touched Blake's hand to her stomach.  
"Whoa," Blake said, feeling the baby kick again. He wished Stevie could have shared this moment with her family, especially Elizabeth. He was sure that Stevie was secretly wishing the same.  
"That's really incredible, Stevie," Blake said, smiling at her.  
"It is," Stevie agreed, still in awe. She smiled to herself as the baby kicked again. "Now, where's my pizza? I'm hungry!"  
Blake chuckled, "Hold your horses, woman."  
"Sorry, sorry," Stevie said, laughing. "But I'm eating for two now, you know."  
"I'll go order it now," Blake said, laughing along with Stevie.  
"I'll be waiting," Stevie cheerfully said.  
Blake just smirked at her and shook his head playfully as he walked into the kitchen to find the takeout menus.

After ordering the pizza, he walked back to the living room where he found Stevie already sound asleep on his couch. Blake smiled to himself before finding a blanket and covering Stevie up with it.

To Be Continued...

**Author's Note: **I know that Stevie and Blake were kinda flirting with each other in this chapter, but just letting you all know that they aren't going to become a couple or anything in this story haha. I like them just as friends and wanted to explore their friendship more in this chapter and the story in general. Collateral Damage is one of my favorite episodes of season 1 and I love the Stevie/Blake scenes in it. Hopefully their relationship/friendship is explored and expanded upon in season 2 :) 


	8. Chapter 8

Stevie woke up the next morning and squinted at her surroundings. She had a kink in her neck from sleeping on a couch all night. It all came flooding back to her. She remembered her father kicking her out of the house and spending the night at Blake's condo. She could hear a shower running in the background. She didn't want to impose on Blake any more than she had to. After gathering up her belongings and leaving a note for Blake, thanking him for his hospitality, she quietly snuck out of Blake's apartment and took the Metro home. She wasn't sure if she was welcomed back at home or not but she had nowhere else to go. She would feel too guilty if she stayed at Blake's any longer.

When she walked inside Jason was playing video games on the couch. Someone must have dropped him off from his sleepover. She had no idea where her parents were. She hoped that they were still sleeping.  
"Hey," Stevie said.  
"Hey," Jason responded without taking his eyes off his game.  
Stevie quietly chuckled and rolled her eyes. She made a cup of decaf coffee and joined him in the living room. She took a seat beside him on couch and turned off the television.  
"Hey! I was playing that!" Jason exclaimed, trying to get the remote away from Stevie. "It's No Rules Saturday."  
"Too bad. I need to talk to you," Stevie said. She realized that Jason probably didn't know about her pregnancy yet and he had to be told before he found out from the tabloids or another family member. She wanted the announcement to come from her personally because she wasn't sure how Jason was going to take the news.  
"I'm, uh, I'm…going to have a baby," Stevie nervously announced. "I'm pregnant."  
"Duh!" Jason said. "It doesn't take a detective to figure that one out."  
"Excuse me?" Stevie asked, taken aback by Jason's response.  
"Your stomach and face blew up like a balloon over the past few months. You think I didn't notice?" Jason asked, laughing. "I can't believe mom and dad haven't figured it out yet. Your weight gain isn't the kind you get from eating too many bacon cheeseburgers."  
"Mom and dad know," Stevie sheepishly said. "_InTouch Weekly_ published paparazzi photos of me so I had to tell them."  
"I better not have to share a bedroom with the little bugger. And it better be a boy," Jason said, not even listening to his sister, turning the TV back on and picking up his video game controller.  
They were interrupted when they heard footsteps. Her mother was coming downstairs, dressed in a navy blue suit and carrying a briefcase. It looked like she was heading into work even though it was a Saturday. Her father was right behind her mother.  
"Get in the car," Elizabeth said to Stevie. "We're going into the office together."

"Here's your sparkling water, and your coffee, ma'am," Blake said as he walked into the conference room, placing Stevie and Elizabeth's respective drinks in front of them.  
Even though it was a Saturday, Elizabeth had gathered up her staff, along with Henry and Stevie, in order to write a press statement addressing Stevie's pregnancy. Daisy said the statement needed to be written and released by Sunday night, in order to make the upcoming week's news cycle. Daisy was grateful that she hadn't denied the pregnancy at first like her boss had asked her to and she was glad that Stevie had finally told her parents about the baby. She knew that the next few news cycles would be rough on not only Elizabeth, but also Stevie, but Daisy knew that the best strategy going forward was to address the pregnancy head on. Transparency was key because of how quickly gossip and conspiracy theories could spread in DC.  
Matt, Daisy, Nadine, and Elizabeth were currently trying to come up with ways to word the statement. Blake didn't really need to be there but he had come for moral support. Henry usually wasn't present in these kinds of situations but Daisy thought that as Stevie's father, and the baby's grandfather, he deserved some input and final approval on what the statement should say. 

Even though it was her fault that they were in this mess to begin with, Stevie decided to keep her mouth shut and not say anything as she watched her mother's staff frantically try to come up with ideas. She didn't want to upset her parents any further. She could see her father glaring at her from across the conference room table. She sighed.  
"How does this sound?" Daisy began. "'Yes, our twenty-one year old daughter, Stephanie McCord, is five and a half months pregnant. While we don't condone her choices, we will support her throughout her pregnancy just as we've always supported her. We are proud and excited to become grandparents and are looking forward to this new journey.'"  
Daisy looked at Henry and Elizabeth expectantly.  
" 'Proud and excited?' Excuse me? I'm sorry but we are not proud nor excited about this pregnancy," Henry said angrily at Daisy.  
Daisy shrank back a little bit as she was taken aback by Henry's tone of voice. Elizabeth's staff had only ever seen Henry act calm and collected in the past.  
"She's just doing her job, Henry," Elizabeth said, giving Daisy an apologetic look.  
"We can take out the proud and excited part," Daisy offered, still a little stunned by her boss's husband's behaviour.  
"Yes, please take that part out," Elizabeth jumped in before Henry could. She didn't want there to be any more outbursts.  
Stevie just sighed to herself again and stared down into the glass of fizzy water that was sitting in front of her. It was going to be a long afternoon. And an even longer next couple of months.

Stevie needed a distraction. The past couple of days at home had been tense. Her parents barely talked to her. Her mother had attempted to make strained small talk with her but her father was still furious with her. Stevie had been picking up extra shifts at the car dealership in order to avoid her parents. She only went home to eat and sleep and she mostly ate dinner upstairs alone in her room so that she didn't have to face her parents. Hence, needing a distraction from all the family drama. And that distraction was Harrison Dalton. 

"God, you're beautiful," Harrison said, as Stevie stepped out of the shower in the hotel suite Harrison had gotten for the two of them that afternoon.  
Stevie noticed Harrison taking in her naked body with his eyes as he lay in bed while Stevie was drying off.  
"Even when I'm almost six months pregnant?" Stevie said, scoffing at Harrison and gesturing to her pregnant stomach.  
Harrison chuckled. "Yes, even when you're pregnant. You look even more gorgeous with that belly. You know, I always thought that thing about pregnant woman glowing was a myth, but you are radiant."  
Stevie just rolled her eyes and shook her head at Harrison as she started putting her underwear back on. When she was finished, she crawled back into bed with Harrison and lay down beside him, pulling the bedsheet up so that it covered the two of them.  
"Run away with me," Harrison suddenly said.  
"Excuse me?" Stevie said, laughing a little bit at the ridiculousness of what Harrison just said.  
"You heard me. Run away with me. My dad is letting me go to art school in Paris to study painting. You should come with me. You speak fluent French. I'm sure you could find a job there," Harrison said.  
"You can't be serious," Stevie replied.  
"I'm dead serious," Harrison said.  
Stevie started laughing hysterically, "You're crazy."  
"What?" Harrison asked incredulously. "It'll be great. I'll charter us a private jet. We can start brand new lives far, far away from this place."  
Stevie sighed. "As amazing as that sounds, I can't do that to Arthur. This is his child, too."  
"He hasn't even given you an answer yet about if he wants to co-parent with you or not," Harrison refuted.  
Stevie sighed again. "I probably shouldn't even be flying while pregnant. I know they say it's safe to fly up until the third trimester but—"  
She was suddenly interrupted by a vibrating sound that came from Stevie's iPhone.  
"Ugh, hold on one second," Stevie said, grabbing her phone from the nightstand.  
"Everything okay?" Harrison asked, seeing Stevie's look of surprise as she read the text she had just received.  
"Yeah, everything's fine," Stevie answered. "It's just my mom. She wants to meet with me right now for coffee."  
Harrison frowned. "Why?"  
Stevie shrugged, "I guess we'll see."

After getting dressed and gathering her things together, Stevie left the hotel and took the Metro to the park where she had arranged to meet her mother. She was sitting at a picnic table reading a book while she waited for her mother to arrive, when a flash of movement caught her eye. Her mother was walking towards her with her security team in tow. Elizabeth weakly smiled at her and waved. Stevie hesitantly waved back. Elizabeth took a seat across from Stevie while the DS agents dispersed and gave Elizabeth as much space as they possibly could while still giving Elizabeth the security she needed, but also attempting to give Elizabeth and Stevie some semblance of privacy. 

"Ahh, _What to Expect When You're Expecting_. A classic," Elizabeth said, when she noticed what Stevie was reading.  
"It's your copy. I found it on the bookshelf in the den," Stevie sheepishly said.  
"It's good that you're preparing yourself," Elizabeth replied, passing a Styrofoam cup over to Stevie. "Here, I got you a decaf latte."  
Stevie weakly smiled, "Thanks, mom." She closed her book and started fidgeting with her hands. "So um…what did you want to talk about?"  
"Well, first I need to apologize for your father's behaviour over the past few days. You have to understand that this has been shocking for us," Elizabeth began.  
Stevie nodded, "I know, I know."  
Elizabeth nodded before she started talking again. "But he isn't angry. He is just surprised. Neither of us saw this coming. We thought that you were more responsible than this to be so careless. And while getting pregnant at your age when you have your whole life ahead of you was irresponsible, we are proud of that fact that you are taking responsibility for the baby and planning to raise him or her by yourself. We know it's not going to be easy so your father and I will try to help you in any way we can. We love you, Stevie."  
To her surprise, Stevie started to tear up. She hadn't expected the conversation to go this way when her mother had asked her to meet that afternoon. She was expecting to get reamed out and lectured again.  
"I love you, too, mom," Stevie said, as she wiped away her tears.  
Elizabeth's eyes crinkled as she smiled at her daughter. "And while we want you to be financially responsible for yourself and the baby, your dad and I have been talking and we've decided that we'll put a down payment on a condo here in DC for you and the baby. If you want us to that is."  
Stevie let out a slight gasp. "You guys really don't have to do that. I'll find us an apartment. Don't worry."  
"We want to, Stevie. We don't want you and the baby to have to live in some crummy apartment," Elizabeth explained. "But there is one condition."  
"What?" Stevie asked.  
"That we won't help you out financially in any other way if you accept our offer. We will help out with the baby in other ways, we will love and spoil this child to death of course. But if you agree to let us buy you a condo, then you're on your own financially for your other expenses."  
Stevie shrugged, "That sounds fair enough."  
Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "So do we have a deal?"  
Stevie smiled. "We have a deal."  
"Great!" Elizabeth said.  
"Thanks, mom," Stevie said. She felt extremely surprised by her mother's offer but she was also supremely grateful. She knew how beneficial having their own space would be for herself and the baby. "You have no idea how much this means to me."  
"You're welcome, baby," Elizabeth said, reaching across the picnic table to stroke Stevie's cheek.  
Stevie smiled at her mother.  
Elizabeth smiled back. "Oh! And there is one more thing."  
"Yes?" Stevie asked, expectantly, smirking at her mother.  
"This kid doesn't have to call me _grandma_ right?" 

TBC…

**Author's Note: I hope everybody had a good Christmas and New Year's! Happy New Year! Sorry it took me so long to update! School and life got crazy. I'm going back to school this week but I'll try to be better about updating. No promises though! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are always welcome.**


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